Diana Henry's Eastern Broth with Lime, Herbs, and Carrot Noodles for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

This weekend I needed a brothy soup with bright flavor, something to tempt the appetite so I looked to Diana Henry and her A Change of Appetite cookbook. There is a page on the miraculous and transformative power of a good broth that you can turn into something special based on how you feel and what's in your refrigerator. Her Eastern Broth with Shallots, Lime and Cilantro caught my eye with it's description of being head clearing.

I kept Diana's base recipe but made some changes--using Maui sweet onion instead of shallots, adding lemongrass, Thai basil and mint, and spiralizing some long carrot noodles.

Eastern Broth with Lime, Herbs, and Carrot Noodles
Adapted from A Change of Appetite by Diana Henry
(Serves 2)

4 cups well-flavored broth or stock of choice
1 small sweet onion, halved and very thinly sliced (
1 1/2-inch piece of ginger root, peeled and sliced (I used local Thai ginger--galangal) 
2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and bruised with the back of a knife
1 red chile, finely sliced, or to taste
small bunch of herbs (I used Thai basil and mint), chopped or not as preferred
1 1/2 tsp fish sauce, or to taste (optional) (I used homemade vegan 'fish' sauce)
1 tsp superfine sugar, or to taste (optional) (I used a pinch of coconut sugar)
juice of 1 lime, or to taste
scallions, cut into very fine julienne strips
spiralized carrot noodles or rice noodles if desired

Put the stock into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the onion, ginger, and lemongrass and simmer gently for about 15 minutes or so. Add the chile, scallions and carrot noodles and simmer for another few minutes. 

Add the herbs, fish sauce and sugar if using and taste for seasoning--looking for a good balance of hot, sour, sweet and salty and adjusting to your taste. 

Remove the ginger and lemongrass stalks if desired before serving. Garnish with extra herbs if desired and enjoy!

Notes/Results: Light, fresh and a great balance of flavors, this is a perfect broth for sipping or as a base for whatever add-ins you like. I liked the lightness and sweetness of the carrot noodles but rice noodles or some jasmine rice would be nice as well. You could also add protein in the form of tofu, or chicken or shrimp if you eat them. Originally I wasn't going to add any sugar as there is sweetness in the Maui onion and carrots but in balancing the flavors, I dropped in a small pinch of coconut sugar and it made a big difference in rounding things out. I used about 2/3 of my chile and it was agood level of heat for me--not too overpowering but head clearing. ;-) Since it starts with good broth, it is quick to put together whenever you need something to tempt your appetite, soothe, or clear your head. I will make it again. 

I am linking this soup up to I Heart Cooking Clubs for this coming week's Potluck when the link goes live tomorrow. Potluck is our chance to cook any recipe from our current IHCC chef (Ellie Krieger) or any past IHCC chef like Diana Henry. You can see what everyone is cooking up by checking out the picture links on the post.

 
A recap of some delicious dishes from last week's Souper Sundays roundup. Souper Sundays is indeed back with a new format of a picture link each week where anyone interested can post their soups, salads or sandwiches and a recap of some of the entries the following week. (If you are not familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.)

 
Simona of briciole shared this comforting Arganak: Armenian Chicken Soup with Meatballs inspired by a book on writing. She says, "This is a hearty soup, very low in carbohydrates and high in protein and fat. If you are not much into meatballs, you can skip that part altogether and follow the rest of the recipe to make lemon and egg soup."

Tina of Squirrel Head Manor brought a flavorful sandwich, a Pan Bagnat, from the Moosewood Cooks at Home cookbook. She says, "It’s a simple recipe that has so many possibilities – use any seasonal vegetables you like…mix it up! Pan Bagnat means “to bath in oil” so all of the flavors (the garlic, olives, artichokes and tomatoes, etc) press into the bread." 

Finally Ellie Krieger's Shrimp Salad with Cucumber and Mint was so good, I had to share it again here. It's a quick, five-ingredient recipe that is a wonderful blend of flavor and freshness with its combination of bright lemon, cooling mint and cucumber, and sweet wild shrimp. Definitely a keeper recipe for me!

 
If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month but we'll take older posts too if you go back, mention Souper Sundays, and add a link to your post--see below) on the picture link for the current week and leave a comment below.

On your entry post (on your blog):

• please mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and link back to this post.
• you are welcome to add the wonderful Souper Sundays logo (created by Ivy at Kopiaste) to your post and/or blog (optional).

An InLinkz Link-up

Have a healthy and happy week!